DUNDEE have made the surprise move of appointing former player, John Brown, as interim manager until the end of the season.

The former defender, known as 'Bomber' during his playing days at Dens Park and at Ibrox, takes over with immediate effect and will be in the dug-out for tomorrow's game at Celtic Park.

It is a surprise move to say the least, with Brown out of management since 2009, when he was sacked as Clyde manager.

He was recently involved in a bid to take over Rangers and was a fierce critic of new chief executive Charles Green.

However, he impressed the Dundee board this week and will now take over on an interim basis.

"Having been inundated by high calibre candidates over the last few days, one man stood out as perfect for the position of Interim Manager of Dundee FC," read an official club statement.

"John Brown is a man with real heritage and history at Dundee FC and when at Dens Park in his time as a player, he was an real inspiration, a fans favourite and scored some vital goals and he has never lost his feelings for the Club.

"Having met and spoken with members of the Board and CEO Scot Gardiner this week, his passion for Dundee was instantly evident and his willingness to step up to the plate for the remainder of the season alongside his immediate understanding of what we as a club need from the position, convinced us he is the man to address the challenges ahead of us this season.

"There is still a lot to play for this season with some vital games coming up and John we will make sure that the Dundee fans see and understand that he is here to make a difference and he is looking forward to working with Assistant Manager Ray Farningham, the coaching staff and our full squad of players.

"The club will continue to assess and review the longer term situation but as has we have highlighted, due to the mixed challenges of our current league position and the uncertainties over League reconstruction, it is impossible for us to set a budget for next season and coming years. Hopefully that position will become clearer very soon and we will then look to appoint a Manager in a full time, longer term position."